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Participate in the LSC Takeover Wednesday, Oct. 28 from 8 p.m. to midnight

Huntsville, Texas

Vol 114 — Issue 19

Today, Oct. 27 9:30-11 am Keynote Address - Alternative Medicine: Sense or Nonsense LSC Theater 11 am - 12 Science & the Paranormal LSC 320 12:30-1:30 p.m.

Science & the Paranormal LSC 320

Book Signing & Reception Today Dr. Joe Schwarcz LSC Ballroom The Fly in the Ointment: 70 Fascinating Commentaries on Everyday Life

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Crime and prejudice: MISSConceptions event held for Unidiversity week

By Amanda Earp

Contributing Writer

MISSConceptions: Crime and Prejudice is a lecture and open discussion being hosted by the Office of Multicultural and International Student Services.

The event, which focuses on crime and prejudice, will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 11 a.m. in LSC room 304 and everyone is welcome to attend.

According to Donielle Miller, Coordinator of the Office of

MISS, the goal of the event is to educate students on something they may not have known about. “[MISS] exists to facilitate discussion because a part of being on the collegiate level is intellectual discussion,” Miller said.

The guest lecturer will be Dr. Cortney Franklin, Assistant Professor in the College of Criminal Justice. The lecture is a part of the UniDiversity Week, which is from Oct. 26-30.

The sole purpose of MISS,

Krystal Jackson | The Houstonian

BEARKAT DEMOCRATS

Time to clean house

Gaining enlightenment. In an effort to expose the SHSU students to underlying problems, MISS will host a lecture given by a professor of Criminal Justice on Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 11 a.m.

which has an office inside of student activities, is to educate the university community on issues of diversity. According to Miller, they provide support for and enhance the college experience of all students, but particularly give attention to the underrepresented students based

on culture, race, gender, sexual orientation, and religion.

“We use diversity as a tool for students to grow,” Miller said.

MISS does not just focus on college students; they also provide diversity education and cultural programs for Huntsville and beyond.

Nobel Laureate Lech Walesa to speak at SHSU

Courtesy photo of SHSU Bearkat Democrats President Kendall Scudder

Protesting for change. Due to a nationwide movement by colleges from Democrat chapters, SHSU’s Bearkat Democrats marched on Congressman Brday in an effort to demand that Bush policies be cleaned up Thursday, Oct. 22.

SHSU’s Bearkat Democrats protest Bush policies

By Kristin Meyer Senior Reporter

Clean up your mess! This is the message that the Bearkat Democrats wanted to send to Congressman Brady by bringing gifts of mops and buckets to his office last Thursday, Oct. 22.

This event was spurred by a speech given by President Obama on Oct. 16 that called for Republicans to “grab a mop” and help clean up the mess that was created by the Bush Administration.

“Bringing the mops to the

Congressman was kind of our way to let him know that we are watching him, and that we would like for him to grab a mop and help clean up the mess instead of standing around telling President Obama that he is holding the mop the wrong way,” President of the Bearkat Democrats, Kendall Scudder, said.

Students were armed with mops and buckets full of failed Bush Policies to urge the Congressman to move forward with this call.

“There were so many of these policies that the papers

were falling out of the top,” Scudder said.

“They were policies ranging from the war, to the patriot act, to No Child Left Behind.

They scaled all the different failed policies throughout all eight years of the Bush Administration and the six years of Republican rule,” Scudder said.

All over the nation, college Democrat chapters bonded together in this call to action, totaling 14 chapters. SHSU and UT were the only colleges in Texas who took part in this event.

“We did it to a larger scale than any other group in the country,” noted Scudder.

Currently there has been no response from Congressman Brady, but the Bearkat Democrats hope that they got their point across to him.

“I really hope that even if he doesn’t make a public comment on it, that it at least sits in the back of his mind to let him know that we are watching him and that we see him just standing around speaking on talking points, and not actually contributing to this process,” said Scudder.

SHSU Public Relations Humanitarian and Nobel Laureate Lech Walesa will be on the campus of Sam Houston State University to talk about “Challenges of globalization – values in the changing world” Thursday, Oct. 29, at 11 a.m. in the Criminal Justice Center auditorium.

His presentation is open to the public, and there is no admission charge.

Walesa was the face of Poland’s anti-Soviet struggle during the 1980s, and later became the president of Poland in that country’s first free election in half a century.

Walesa has been granted many honorary degrees from universities in both Europe and the United States, and was Time magazine’s “Man of the Year” in 1981. Among his numerous international awards are the Medal of Freedom (USA), the Award of the Free World (Norway), and the European Award of Human Rights.

His presentation is sponsored by SHSU President and Mrs. Jim Gaertner and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

GUEST SPEAKER

TCU Professor shares information about mercury contamination

By Janise Richardson Contributing Writer

Students who seem to love those underwater creatures might want to think twice the next time they order at their favorite seafood restaurant.

Matt Chumchal, associate professor of biology at Texas Christian University discussed in lecture the potential causes and consequences of Mercury (Hg) contamination on Thursday, Oct. 22. The lecture, hosted by The Biological Sciences Department, discussed mercury in the environment, the Texas region, and at Caddo

Lake.

Chumchal, along with many collaborators and Texas Parks and Wildlife, studied the affects of mercury contamination for the past several years.

Mercury contamination, according to Chumchal, is one of the most important environmental problems facing the world we live in. There are high levels of mercury in almost every ecosystem around the world, and is found in the Pacific, in the tropics, and remote arctic regions. The United States has a relatively small amount, while Asia has a great amount.

WHAT’S ON THE WEB Visit our website to participate in our latest poll or post your comments on the stories in this issue at houstonianonline.com!

Mercury makes its way into the environment from natural and anthropogenic sources that combine to release inorganic mercury in the atmosphere. Inorganic mercury can suspend in the atmosphere up to two years.

From there, mercury ends up washed through wetlands, reservoirs, and lakes. It can be converted by bacteria into a very toxic form of mercury called Methyl mercury. Mercury is usually found in the water in very low concentrations. These concentrations are so low that you can even drink or swim in it with no

harm. It goes through biomagnification, a process that means there is a higher concentration the higher up on the food chain.

Mercury has many known negative affects on humans.

It can affect the cardiovascular, immune, and reproductive systems. These are the concentrations that a human would be exposed to when eating fish. It becomes a problem for humans because fish are an important part of the our diet. Pregnant women are at a greater risk from mercury contamination.

Those who consume fish or aquatic beings with high mer-

FEATURE PRESENTATION

Entertainment editor Kevin Jukkola reveals the results of his weekly poll.

SEE page 5

cury concentrations run the risk of harming the fetus.

“This is mainly a problem for pregnant women, because fetus’ are harmed by concentrations of Hg that are much lower than the what an adult would be harmed by,” Chumchal said.

Between one and six women have concentrations in their blood high enough to harm the fetus if the woman became pregnant. The fetus could be at risk for possible neurological problems.

The contamination has no geographic pattern, yet in Texas there’s almost none. In the

surrounding states (Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, New Mexico), the highest contamination is in Louisiana. Most lakes in East Texas are under fish advisories, “the way that states want citizens about the presence of Mercury in fish.”

“The take home message is that most states in the country have fish advisories.”

The good news is that now, with the studies of Matt Chumchal and collaborators, there is more information available about mercury in the environment. Don’t worry, you can still eat fish, just watch how much you consume.

INDEX

Nation & World...page 4

Opinions................page 2

Entertainment........page 5

Campus................page 3

Sports....................page 6

OPINIONS

Page 2 The Houstonian

THE ROSTRUM

“Any man worth his salt will stick up for what he believes right, but it takes a slightly better man to acknowledge instantly and without reservation that he is in error.”

Andrew Jackson Seventh President of the United States 1767-1845

What are kids listening to these days?

Malissa Peek

discusses how she feels music

today lacks the meaning that it used to.

As I sat around pondering what in the world I was going to write about for my first column it came down to one logical topic, music.

I began looking around my room and it hit me; almost everything that inspires me as a singer/songwriter comes from my parents’ generation of music not from my own.

I will say I have a few modern favorites, but almost all of them are along the lines of one hit wonders.

I guess the big time radio people don’t hear what I hear when I jam out to Ashton Shepherd or Kate Vogel.

Music pretty much consumes my life. In fact, I am fairly confident in saying that at some point in time music consumes everyone.

Whether it be four minutes in your car with the radio, or a life long dream to be the next big thing to hit the industry, music is a part of all of us.

I find it fascinating when another human being can pick up a basic instrument and make sense of my world. I believe that music is more like romance, hope,

and inspiration. I believe it is therapy.

As I think about our generation’s music I cant help but feel somewhat sorry for us.

Yes, we have technological advances that no other generation has ever conceived of. Yes, we have the ability to download whatever the heck we want, whenever we want it, but look at our options.

I’m not sure how many people will be on board with me when I say that our generations “mainstream” music is lacking something. I can’t even listen to the radio anymore, in fact I refuse to.

What the heck is a “stanky leg?” Why in the world is Taylor Swift so popular, and why are people “yelling” about beating each other up? What happened to the value and the deep meaning behind lyrics? Did it all die with the hippies?

I am all about giving people free creative range, but honestly, how hard is it to make up some of the garbage that graces our radio waves today? How hard is it to transition from actress to singing sensation over-

night? My point is it seems way to easy and extremely uninspiring.

Human beings thrive off of music. Music is believed to be the first form of communication even outdating speech. Fascinating isn’t it?

I have noticed that almost every time I get in a friends car they are listening to a CD rather than the radio.

I notice that people are all of the sudden buying their favorite artists albums in hope of finding something of worth between tracks one and 15.

I have personally found myself searching through the internet waiting to come across a “no-namer” with something good to say. I ask myself why, why are we getting the shaft?

Have we given to much creative range to the industry by buying their product?

Are they pulling one over on us because they believe we will buy anything with a good beat? Why do we find some of this stuff so great?

Now I will admit that some of the garbage I speak of has made my foot tap a few times, and with a little

bit of liquid courage I have found myself on the dance floor “leaning with it and rocking with it,” but I would never consider it life altering. I would never consider it soul searching.

I won’t go as far as to say that everything on the radio is lacking something because that’s just not true.

There are still a lot of amazing artist out there making amazing music, it just seems like the ratio of meaningful music to bull is about four to one.

So I leave you with this suggestion. Look beyond what the industry feeds you.

Search beyond what they consider radio worthy and together our generation can once again find what music is really about.

In my opinion, the day that I think it’s just about making money is going to be the day that I’ve betrayed everything I believe in about music, life, and myself.

Malissa Peek is a guest columnist for The Houstonian. She is a junior Mass Communications Major.

Key Words: Worlds apart.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Letter to the Student Body

Dear Sam Houston Students, Staff and Faculty and Alumni: The Houstonian would not survive were it not for the continued involvement and dedication of the SHSU student body.

We welcome all column submissions and letters to the editor.

If at any time you feel the need to express an opinion, please do not hesitate to email your thoughts or drop by our office in the Dan Rather communications building. We look forward to hearing from you and thank you as always for your continued support of the Houstonian.

Addison Reed Opinions Editor dar015@shsu.edu

Paws Up, Paws Down In this section of the opinions page, we take a look at some various news stories around campus and give the parties involved either a “paws up” for a good job, or a “paws down” for a not so good job.

“Paws UP” to Debbi Hatton, SHSU speech communication instructor, for winning the Texas Speech Communication Association’s “University Educator of the Year.”

“Paws DOWN” to the notso-mighty Bearkat football team for suffering a miserable 42-3 to the SFA Lumberjacks in this year’s Massacre of the Piney Woods.

“Paws UP” to the annual SHSU Faculty and Staff picnic to be held this Friday. Thanks for all you do for the students and university community!

“Paws DOWN” to the SHSUSFA game being moved to a neutral site in Houston. That’s one less home game for either team and now added difficulty for students wanting to attend the biggest game of the year.

Correction from 10/22

Adam Key discusses the transition between college and the real world.

As the only student-coach in the entire International Public Debate Association, I often find myself in a perplexing position.

On the one hand, as a coach, I am expected to be responsible, to make decisions for the benefit of the group, and to train students how to speak persuasively.

On the other hand, as a student, I’m often treated as a peer by students, and an inferior by my fellow coaches.

For the most part, things work out splendidly.

There are, however, plenty of times that walking in both worlds leaves one incredibly exhausted. The expectations of being both a friend and authority figure are often mutually exclusive.

In many ways, my experience is the same as many students finishing out their final year here at Sam Houston. As we transition from the irresponsibility of youth to the sensibility

of adulthood, we are often expected to simultaneously maintain two very different roles.

People naturally expect that college students are going to show up late, shirk their responsibilities, and ultimately not be mature enough to handle things.

“

your older friends don’t respect you as one of their own.

Basically, the younger people don’t like you because you’re old, and the older people don’t like you because you’re young.

This transitional period, like any other, has much

Basically, the younger people don’t like you because you’re old, and the older people don’t like you because you’re young.”

Conversely, as adults about to enter the workforce, it is also expected that we will be able to stand on our own two feet as we make our way in the world.

The entire transitional experience can be quite isolating. Your younger friends and older colleagues expect you to be just like they are and generally resent you from being part of the other group.

Younger friends don’t understand why you can’t let loose like they do and

to teach us about life. Just like when we graduated from high school so many years ago, we now begin to prepare for bigger and better things.

We were a big fish in our small ponds back then, and as we entered college, we realized both how big the world was and how small we are by comparison. We are once again going to go from knowing everything to realizing how little we actually know.

In many ways, we are about to be freshman for

the third time in our lives.

First, we left middle school to become freshman in high school. Then we graduated high school and became freshman all over again in college. Now, as we prepare to graduate once more, we are on the verge of becoming freshman in life.

As we outgrow the college pond and make our way into the ocean that is the real world, we should remember how big Sam Houston felt when we first got here compared to how small it feels now.

While the experience might be a scary one and you may feel isolated during this transition, soon enough we’ll realize Walt Disney was right and that the world is a lot smaller than we thought…after all.

Adam Key is a regular columnist for The Houstonian. He is a Communication Studies graduate student.

In the interview with the SFA Sports Editor, her name was listed as Ashley Landers. The name printed should have been Shelliey Trevino.

The individual opinions on the Viewpoints page are not necessarily affiliated with the view of The Houstonian or SHSU. The Houstonian is published semi-weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It is a news publication of Sam Houston State University, a member of the Texas State University system, and is produced by students. It is self-supporting and welcomes all advertisers. Those interested in placing ads or classifieds should call (936) 294-4864. The Houstonian is a member of the Associated Press.

The Houstonian Editorial

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Kristina Salazar...............................................................936-294-1505 FACULTY ADVISOR Patsy Ziegler.....................................................................936-294-1499 SECTION EDITORS Meagan Ellsworth........................................................Associate Editor Addison Reed................................................................Opinions Editor Lotis Butchko....................................................................Sports Editor Kevin Jukkola........................................................Entertainment Editor Thomas Merka.....................................................................Web Editor STAFF Kristin Meyer.................................................................Senior Reporter Mike Silva......................................................................Sports Reporter Joe Buvid..............................................................................Photo Editor Krystal Jackson.................................................................Photographer Heath Wierck.......................................................................Copy Editor

Advertising BUSINESS MANAGER Tammie Nokes..................................................................936-294-1500 STAFF Brittaney Pires.....................................................Advertising Manager Samantha Berezowsky............................................Account Executive

Advertising Deadlines

Tuesday’s Issue............... Friday at 2:00 p.m.

Thursday’s Issue........... Tuesday at 2:00 p.m.

CAMPUS

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Trail Ride

The Houstonian, Page 3

How Jack became o’latern Student services invites the campus community to a pumpkin carving contes, a tradition whose roots dig deep into European legends.

By Julie Gallo Contributing Writer

All photos Krystal Jackson | The Houstonian

Follow up: Walker County Cowboy church held a trail ride for SHSU students and the community on Saturday.

Halloween is fast approaching, and although students have midterms and papers to worry about, the Department of Student Services has a way to relieve some of the stress that comes with the middle of the semester.

Student Services will be hosting their first annual Pumpkin Carving Contest on Wednesday, Oct. 28.

Students will get a chance to showcase their carving skills from 12 p.m.-2 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center mall area. The top three carvers will be awarded with a ribbon and prize bag from Student Services.

“As this is our first year, we just want to see what kind of turnout we will get from the student body,” Leah Mulligan, Director of Student Services said. “This is also a chance for students to do something they

may have done as a child, but no longer get to do.”

Pumpkin carving has always been a traditional part of Halloween, but why? It all lies in the story of “Stingy Jack”.

“Stingy Jack” is said to have been an Irishman who tricked the Devil a time or two, and as punishment when he died, he was sent off into the night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved turnip and, since then, has been roaming the world with it.

The Irish simply referred to him as “Jack O’Lantern”, short for “Jack of the Lantern.”

As the legend spread throughout Europe, people made their own versions of these “jack o’lanterns” by carving faces into turnips, potatoes, and gourds, and placing them in their windows or outside their front doors to scare away spirit and witches, along with warding off the spirit of “Stingy Jack”.

So, how did this tradition make

Sammy Bearkat strikes a pose at last week’s Firefest, held on Thursday, at Intramural field #3.

Firefest is a SHSU tradition held to pump the student body up for the Battle of the Piney Woods each year.

philanthropy celebration to have a variety of activities and events for students to partake in.

Contributing Writer It’s a great week to be Greek at Sam Houston State University.

The Interfraternity Council will be hosting activities all week long during the Greek Week celebration.

The annual event celebrates philanthropy, friendly competition, and fun throughout the Greek Community, which makes up seven percent of SHSU’s population.

This year’s festivities follow a “HuntsVegas” theme. Banners depicting the theme were made by each chapter and will be on display in the LSC Mall Area for the entire week.

The events focus mostly on fraternity and sorority members, but others can attend.

“If people want to come out and watch, then they are welcome to come,” Interfraternity Council Vice President Price Howard,

said.

Campus-wide activities will be held all week long and members of the Greek community will be awarded points for participating in several of the events.

On Monday, Oct. 26, Greek Week began with a blood drive in the Health and Kinesiolgy Center.

There was also a Movie Night with the National Pan-Hellenic Council at 6 p.m. where the classic horror movie “Friday the 13th” was shown.

On Tuesday, each chapter will have coin collection buckets set up in the LSC Mall Area from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All of the proceeds will be donated to the Boys and Girls Club and the Good Shepherd Mission.

Greek members will also be visiting these organizations to participate in community service.

Wednesday will be Field Day at Colony Park, which is located across from the University Hotel. This event begins at 4 p.m. and

will include four different competitions; a three-part relay race, egg toss, over and under race with poker chips, and a punt, pass, kick competition.

Thursday’s event is a Greek Trivia Competition, which will take place at 7 p.m. in AB4. Each chapter will have one representative participate in this “Family Feud” style competition.

On Friday, Greek Week will come to a close with the Best Act talent show and an award ceremony.

The talent show begins at 7 p.m. in AB4 and the awards ceremony will follow. The titles of Most Philanthropic, Best Talent, Overall Field Day Champion, and Greek Week Champion will be awarded.

For more information on Greek Week, contact Student Activities at 936-294-3861.

Putting an end to violence Office of MISS helps spread Domestic Violence Awareness on Campus

By Kaima Akarue Contributing Writer Domestic violence is currently a prevalent issue in our society. Under the broad scope of violent acts performed by spouses, other actions like stalking, sexual harassment, and sexual assault still require great awareness.

The Multicultural and International Student Services promoted the awareness of domestic violence this month by passing out brochures at noon yesterday.

Due to the poor weather and persistent showers, the event was moved from the mall area inside the LSC Atrium on the second floor.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, encouraging the cessation of violence in relationships, providing support for those who have suffered, and enlighten those who don’t know much about the facts.

Although many college students have yet to engage in matrimony or even experience such a case, the statistics show a growing number of cases where intimate violence in relationships have surfaced, not only among adults, but

college students and teens.

According to an article written by Assistant Professor M.D. Melissa Kottke, one in four women will suffer from intimate violence in her lifetime, and even more shocking, one in ten high school students across the U.S. report being hit by their significant other, proving that violence in relationships is rooting at younger ages.

If you or someone you know is experiencing such events, Huntsville provides a number of vehicles to offer aid, like Sam Houston’s Counseling Center or The SAAFE House. Or you can always call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1–800–799–SAFE for further resources.

If you missed out on this event, the next program, Embracing Real Beauty, will be held today in the LSC theatre at 6 p.m.

M.I.S.S. efforts to promote diversity and support social justice are displayed through a variety of events.

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936-291-1466

Smithercompany. com

For more information on the Pumpkin Carving Contest, please visit the Student Activities website at www.shsu. edu/studentactivities.

FOLLOW UP:

Greek Week

By Brittany McClure

its way over to the United States?

Simple. When people began to emigrate over, they brought their traditions with them, which included making jack o’lanterns at the end of October. However, unlike using turnips and gourds, these European emigrants quickly realized pumpkins are a much better tool to carve into.

Well, there it is, a brief history of pumpkin carving, and why we still enjoy it today. Who knows, maybe Stingy Jack is making his way up to Huntsville right now, to see who he can trick. Better carve out your pumpkin.

Joe Buvid | The Houstonian

Program Council Presents

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ENTERTAINMENT

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

The Houstonian, Page 5

WEEKLY REVIEW

At the Movies with Kevin: Law Abiding Citizen Kevin Jukkola

Entertainment Editor

“Law Abiding Citizen” is an entertaining thriller with a brain, which is a special rarity, but without the full capacity of common sense, which is to its detriment.

The film will not survive close scrutiny of its logic, but nonetheless provides worthwhile escape from the reality of the serious problems that society is currently suffering through. The atmosphere creates the feeling of plausibility within the plot, which is thoroughly preposterous.

The film begins with a home invasion and the trial

of the two murderers. Clyde (Gerard Butler), the father and husband of the victims, wants justice for his loved ones but is turned away by the prosecutor, Nick (Jamie Foxx), who decides to accept a plea deal for one of the defendants in order to ensure the continuation in the rise of his personal conviction rate. Nick is illustrated as a bloodsucking opportunist who sees justice as secondary behind his own selfish ambitions, while Clyde is seen as a man who simply wishes for his family to receive the same respect as the prosecutor’s ego. “Law Abiding Citizen” does a skillful job of balancing

the audience’s sympathies between the two characters for a while, aided in no small part to the excellent performances across the board, before becoming the traditional, everlasting struggle of good and evil.

“Law Abiding Citizen” does fail in understanding the intricacies of the American judicial process.

The plea deal at the beginning is completely unethical because the lack of agreement from the victim’s families would violate judicial ethics, forcing both Nick and the judge to undergo strict reviews of their occupational character. Clyde exhibits a better understanding of this process by targeting the judge because she is not obligated to agreeing to a plea deal between the prosecution and the defense, and would certainly not do so without the consent of the victim’s family. The tyranny of evil must be condemned by those with the power to fight, which includes separating the lawful from the corrupt citizens in order to continue the moral values within our existent society.

“Law Abiding Citizen” believes that the justice system is too compromising, providing fairness for the criminals, instead of justice for the victims.

Unfortunately, many of the observations the film makes accurate examinations of a flawed, imperfect system that emphasizes innocence until proven guilt. That said, this is the only way to aid in ensuring the true culpability of those who are convicted of their crimes. Then again, Clyde is not as upset about

Remember. Nick (Jamie Foxx) tries to convince Clyde (Gerard Butler) to stop the violence by using the memory of his daughter and wife in “Law Abiding Citizen.”

the system as he is about the cowards that fail to fight for righteousness in favor of their own self-interest.

The film surprised me with its ending but not in a good way. The conclusion had a less emotional and intellectual impact than I might have imagined and would have made a stronger statement about the justice system and the addictive nature of hate if it had ended differently.

There are logical inconsistencies within the film, and yet it somehow continues its level of intellectual stimulation until the end. Although it is thought provoking at times, “Law Abiding Citizen” lacks both the subtlety and emotional capacity to become a memorable experience. It is a pulse-pounding diversion throughout, and it succeeds admirably at its intended level.

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Abiding Citizen

Stars: * * * Grade: BRunning Time: 108 min.

MPAA: Rated R for violence and torture.

Cast:. Jamie Foxx (Nick), Gerard Butler (Clyde), Colm Meaney (Dunnigan), Bruce McGill (Jonas), Viola Davis (Mayor), Leslie Bibb (Sarah), Regina Hall (Kelly), Annie Corley (Judge Burch).

Directed by F. Gary Gray.

Written by Kurt Wimmer.

Entertainment Poll of the Week Since “Law-Abiding Ctizen” has a twist that contributes to the conclusion of the story, it would be interesting to know what you think is the best movie of the decade with a twist ending.

Choices: -Collateral -Kill Bill: Vol. I -Ocean’s Eleven -The Others -Phone Booth -The Prestige -Vanilla Sky

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SPORTS

Page 6 The Houstonian

TIMBER!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

What are we losing?

Sports Editor Lotis Butchko talks about the loss of the home and home series with Stephen F. Austin Lotis Butchko Sports Editor

Lotis Butchko | The Houstonian

Busted. Stephen F. Austin defensive end Kenneth Charles grabs quarterback Jeff Welch as he is letting the ball go. Stephen F. Austin won the game by their bigges margin ever over the Bearkats as they rolled to a 42-3 win in the 84th battle of the Piney Woods.

Kats fall victim to massacre of the Piney Woods Lotis Butchko Sports Editor

Nachogdoches, – Sam Houston struggled to move the ball as the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks wheeled to a 42-3 victory.

Between switching quarterbacks and non-existent running game, the team amassed a feeble 67 yards by halftime, and only 186 total yards.

The absence of starting quarterback Blake Joseph was apparent from the opening snap, as the running game was less than active.

“It’s a tough loss anytime you go 1-2 in conference it’s hard,” said defensive back Jarvis Pippins. “But you got to suck it up and play.”

Sam Houston played well at first, forcing a three and out, and forcing a punt.

However the offense was unable to capitalize on the opportunity and was forced to punt after three plays as well.

Stephen F. Austin was able to drive the field on the next play, but after making it to the Sam Houston 30-yard line on a fourth and one they were unsuccessful on their fourth down attempt.

The Bearkats got the ball back and junior quarterback Bryan Randolph took the team down field to the Lumberjack 18, but the drive stalled when Miguel Antonio missed a 35 yard field

goal.

The first score of the game came in the second quarter when the Lumberjacks scored on an 11 play, 80-yard drive, just 15 seconds into the quarter as Jeremy Moses completed a 26yard strike to wide receiver Aaron Rhea.

“We had a good drive, but after we had that second drive we just kind of stalled out and went three and out,” said quarterback Bryan Randolph.

Jeff Welch entered at quarterback for the Bearkats on the ensuing drive but with no luck as the drive lasted only three plays.

Stephen F. Austin went for a homerun play on the very next play and again Moses connected with Rhea for a 49-yard touchdown pass to break the game open.

Each team exchanged field position for the remainder off the second quarter, but with under a minute left in the game, the lumberjack offense struck again as the Moses completed another touchdown pass this time to Brandon Scott to take the lead 21-0 at the half.

The game was getting out of hand but the Bearkats got the ball back at the beginning of the second half, which would allow them to put some points on the board.

However after only three plays Sam Houston was forced to punt. Stephen F. Austin again made the

Joe Buvid | The Houstonian

I’m open. Quarterback Bryan Randolph throws to James Aston.

Bearkats pay by scoring in just four plays covering 74yards as again Moses threw for another touchdown pass.

The Bearkats went three and out on the next series and again the Lumberjacks scored on a Moses pass taking the score to a 35-0 lead after just three quarters of play.

“What we saw on film is what they ran, the defensive backs kind of gave us a hassle,” Randolph said.

“But we were going try to implement to run a lot more but we didn’t get to.”

Miguel Antonio scored Sam Houston’s only points of the game when he knocked through a 23-yard field goal.

The game was Stephen F. Austin’s largest victory of margin over Sam Houston state, and put the all time series at 48-34-2 with the Bearkats in the lead.

Kats on cloud 9 Paul Ridings

Sports Information Anna Ferguson totaled 20 kills and Carli Kolbe added 17 to lead Sam Houston State to a five-set victory over McNeese State Saturday afternoon at Johnson Coliseum.

The Bearkats defeated the Cowgirls 2520, 24-26, 18-25, 27-25 and 15-10 to post Sam Houston’s ninth victory in 11 five setters this year.

The win kept Sam Houston in first place in the Southland Conference West Division with a 9-1 league mark, the Kats’ best Southland start ever. The Bearkats have now won nine matches in a row, the team’s longest winning streak since 1994.

McNeese was led by Priscilla Massengale with 19 kills and Chanel Tyler with 13. The Cowgirls, who defeated Lamar in five sets in

Beaumont on Friday, dropped to 16-7 for the year and 4-5 in Southland action.

“We’re didn’t seem as hungry today and we were right on the brink of losing in that fourth set,” SHSU head coach Brenda Gray said. “But, during a time out before those two match points, I told the team that we were in the same position we were Wednesday night against Stephen F. Austin and we came back and won that. The fire came back in their eyes and they responded. I’m really proud of the way this group just keeps fighting.”

Down two sets to one, Sam Houston had to survive two McNeese match points in the four set. At 24-23 Kolbi pounded a kill on a set by Michelle Miller. At 25-24, it was Kim Black with the kill. Ferguson produced another kill to put Sam Houston up 26-25 and Kaylee Hawlins served an ace to even the match at two sets each.

Sam Houston trailed twice in the fifth set,

but at 3-4, the Kats rolled off four straight points to take a 7-4 lead and never were behind again.

Hawkins, the Bearkats’ libero, set a school record with 44 digs. She broke the school mark of 43 set by Emily Orlowski against UT-Arlington in 2004.

“Kaylee did a great job tonight for us defensively,” Gray said. “And our freshman setter really kept her head up even though she was getting a lot of balls blocked right back in her face. The team found a way to get it done again today and I couldn’t be prouder of a group.”

Kim Black and Becky Swann each totaled seven kills. Sam Houston produced 15 team blocks.

The Bearkats return to action Thursday at 7 p.m. at Johnson Coliseum when they play host to UTSA.

When the buses arrived in Nachadoges you could see the smoke in the air. The town that many Sam Houston students call “Nacanowhere” was coming to life for a game against an arch rival.

The beauty of a rivalry game is it doesn’t matter who is better that year, or how many people are hurt, teams get up for these games because the fans make them get up for it.

The smoke that could be seen so clearly through the sky was the beginning of the tail gating. Stephen F. Austin was getting ready for the game.

But the sight of this all really left me wondering, why are we the fans moving our rivalry to Reliant Stadium?

Don’t get me wrong, I love the fact that the Battle of the Piney Woods is getting bigger. So big that it is getting enough recognition to move to a major market, but while we gain Reliant Stadium we lose that home feeling.

When I went in search of an orange tent to get my pre game food I noticed the SFA fans adorned in purple and white. Wearing shirts like, “friends don’t let friends go to SHSU,” and a decorated car painted in orange that read, “Beat the hell out of Sam Houston.”

This bring an interesting question, what are we going to do when we get to Houston? Reliant Stadium isn’t going to allow cars beat with sledgehammers, or large floats that read “axe the kats.” From a fans stand point I don’t know whether to like this or not.

Does this rivalry lose something by going to a neutral site? Sure the Red River Shootout is held in Dallas, but just imagine if it was a home and home series?

So I guess what I am really wondering is how will it change? Will Reliant allow the fans to take seven parking spots for tailgating? Will they let us host a Bud Light tent in the middle of the parking lot for students to get free beer?

I have been to three homecoming games this season, at Sam Houston, Southeastern Louisiana and Stephen F. Austin. Each of them have shown me something we couldn’t get at a bigger, more structured stadium.

At Southeastern they had a dancing crew in the parking lot, at Sam Houston we had parents with deep fryers and at Stephen F. Austin they had the car. But I don’t see any of that ending up in a parking lot that is managed by security guards and actually makes you pay for additional parking spots for tailgating events.

While the idea of the neutral site is with good intentions; bringing more alumni, and promoting the rivalry the drawbacks could hurt the spirit of college football.

There is something you get with college football and no nostalgia of Reliant Stadium could ever match that.

Joe Buvid | The Houstonian

Geared up. Stephen F. Austin fans get rowdy at the Homecoming game.

Joe Buvid | The Houstonian

Right back at you. Sam Houston fans showed up to wreck the Stephen F. Austin party.